Themed collection UN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action

Waste-derived biochar electrodes enhance microbial electrosynthesis by improving electron transfer, sustainability and scalability, offering a cost-effective route for CO₂ conversion into biochemicals and supporting circular economy goals.

New regulation has banned some industrial uses of methylene chloride (dichloromethane, DCM) in the USA. What are the alternatives?

Safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) is a pre-market approach that integrates innovation with safety and sustainability along the entire life cycle.

Engineering microbial metabolism is tapped potential to convert industrial waste and by-products into high-value chemical products, providing a more sustainable alternative to traditionally oil-derived chemicals.

Advanced catalytic strategies for CO₂ to MeOH conversion focus on approaches utilizing noble metals. These methods leverage noble metal catalysts to facilitate CO₂ molecule activation and promote reduction to MeOH under mild conditions.

Chemistry should adopt material stewardship as a central mission in fulfilling its vital role in sustainability for people and planet.

Polycotton waste textile valorisation; upgrading waste cotton from polycotton (left) to the platform chemical glucose without affecting the polyester (right).

This review highlights advanced catalytic processes that hold industrial relevance for transforming plastic waste into sustainable fuels, chemical feedstock and advance materials, thereby facilitating chemical circular economy. Image partially generated using iStock AI Image Generator.

Via multi-enzyme cascade approaches, ω-amino fatty acids are able to be sustainably produced as nylon monomers from vegetable-derived precursors.

Plasma-based nitrogen fixation, leveraging non-thermal plasma technologies, offers a promising alternative to conventional processes, with the potential to decentralize fertilizer production, reduce CO₂ emissions, and employ renewable energy sources.

HPTPs exhibit ordered porosity and tunable coordination environments. This review highlights the synthetic strategies, structural morphology, and multifunctional applications spanning catalysis, adsorption, ion exchange, sensing, and energy storage.

Integrating Circular Economy (CE) principles with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to promote equitable, sustainable and proactive materials design of consumer durable goods.

Photocatalysis, waste valorization, hydrogen, and the circular economy.

A design of PET mechanical recycling at the industrial scale requires the inspection of the relevance of pre-treatment steps, degradation reactions and repair potential, accounting for the impact of contamination (e.g. NIAS) and regulations.

Chemical looping technology provides an efficient means of sustainable CO₂ conversion to the important chemical intermediate of CO or syngas by changing conventional co-feeding of reactant into alternating feeding.

PBS and PBSA can be used to manufacture cost-effective and sustainable materials for applications in food packaging and agriculture.

This study reviews saccharification technologies, focusing on HCl-based methods, their industrial evolution, and challenges in scaling, emphasizing the historical progress and ongoing need for innovation.

Increased human activity due to the ever-increasing global population has necessitated the urgent need for a sustainable environment, food, and energy.

Hybrid perovskite solar cells spray-coated with polystyrene retain 80% of their original efficiency after 40 hours immersed in water or temperatures of 95 °C.

The concept and first demonstration of an effective direct air capture molten carbonate chemistry is presented.

Noble gas plasma-collisional splitting (NgPCS) is an emerging hydrogen production technology.

Biocatalytic ibuprofen synthesis enhanced via in silico-guided rational enzyme design.

This research represents a major milestone in the synthesis of novel biodegradable polycarboxylic acid utilizing monomers derived from agro-industrial waste.

A new family of glycerol derived ionic liquids with tunable properties and interesting applications as hydroxycinnamic acids solubilizers or as reaction media for Pd NPs recoverable catalytic systems.

Measuring sustainability in international chemicals management: we present 23 indicators as a contribution to the Global Framework on Chemicals. Due to the overarching concept of sustainable chemistry, the indicators are related to several SDGs.

Combining reaction tracking, isotope labeling, and quantitative analysis provides mechanistic clarity and improved strategies for biomass valorization aimed at hydrogen storage.

Water ultrasound-assisted preparation of a novel magnetic nanocatalyst, Fe₃O₄@keratin-Cu(II) and it's use for rapid and green one-pot synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolo-pyrimido-benzimidazole derivatives (5a–x) in good to excellent yields.

A unique quaternary diammonium salt and urea (1 : 2)-containing deep eutectic solvent (DES) is introduced as a simple and efficient catalytic medium for the atom-economic synthesis of oxazolidinone compounds from epoxides and isocyanates.

Biodegradable polymer matrices, PCL and PBSA were used to fabricate magnetic composites with recycled NdFeB and rare earth-free lab-synthesized ferrite fillers (SrFe₁₂O₁₉ and SrFe₁₂O₁₉–CoFe₂O₄) across a wide filling range (1–90%).

A low-cost, recyclable ionic liquid generates sustainable cellulose, renewable small molecules and lignin-derived carbon fibres from wood biomass.

Since the early 21st century, biochar (BC) has garnered attention for its agricultural and environmental applications.

H₂ evolving photodissolution of cellulose paper was successfully achieved by combining dual-dye-sensitized photocatalysts and a 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl oxidation catalyst.

The interdisciplinary nature of green chemistry requires innovative approaches for engaging broad audiences, making active learning and gamified learning of interest for exploring green chemistry in classrooms and conference settings.

Benchtop NMR analyses of bio-oils are made safer and more sustainable by replacing DMF with bio-derived solvents.

PCL and ElvaloyPTW improve the ductility and gas barrier properties of PLA. UV irradiation decreases the molecular weight of PLA and increases its crystallization.

A general, mild, and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing sulfonamides in sustainable solvents was developed.

CO₂ photoreduction is a promising alternative to CCUS technologies. Finding an effective facilitator for photoreduction can be as important as finding an active photocatalyst, which could be the key to advancing the technology.

An iron(III)- and oxygen-promoted one-pot method for the efficient syntheses of quinolines from amino acids, alkyl lactate, and arylamine was carried out.

This study explored the anaerobic co-digestion of Ulva lactuca and cow manure to enhance methane yield. A 2 : 1 ratio produced 325.75 mL per g VS methane. The modified Gompertz model best fit the kinetics.

Two new 2D coordination polymers were synthesized, scaled-up and applied as efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for the mild oxidation of α-pinene into value added products.

Bacillus thuringiensis was isolated from soil and used to biodegrade chrome shaving dust. Optimal degradation (94.8%) was achieved at 35% seed, 12.86% nutrients, and 101.27 h. This simple, efficient microbial process outperforms enzymatic methods.

Systems analysis tools such as material flow analysis, process simulation, life cycle assessment, and system optimization were applied to minimize environmental impacts of the U.S. plastics packaging recycling infrastructure in a circular economy.

The research evaluates mitigation potential of electrofuels at the fleet level under various direct electrification scenarios.

This TOC represents the use of sustainable components within the printing process for the manufacture of battery composite electrodes.

An improved furfural process using Amberlyst 70 eliminates H₂SO₄ and acid residues, replaces steam with a nitrogen stream, and offers a scalable, lower-impact alternative to current practices while preserving economic viability.

We reported cellulose filter paper, treated with weak acids, and reinforced with resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP), for incorporation into the membrane electrolyte assembly (MEA) of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).

Carbon footprint assessment reveals CO₂-electrolysis derived ethylene oxide may have a lower carbon footprint than fossil-based ethylene oxide under optimized process and energy conditions.

Adsorption interactions of lignin derivatives anisole, guaiacol and cresols in industrial zeolite catalysts are studied with a combined vibrational spectroscopy and DFT approach, to enable design of catalysts for biomass-based chemical feedstocks.

The transition to sustainable energy relies on innovative methods to convert biomass-derived compounds into viable biofuels.

CMX-0.04 composite films exhibited high UV (≈100%) and HEBL (≈97.5%) blocking performance with enhanced mechanical properties (303% and 830% increased tensile and Young's modulus, respectively) and excellent film flexibility.

Bio-derived calcium carbonate, calcite nanocrystals from mussel shells, can be decorated with copper oxide nanoparticles using green methods.

CO₂ can be captured efficiently by DBU and Py under mild conditions for crystal formation.

We report the fabrication, performance and degradation of a vanillin cross-linked chitosan film containing gallic acid as the active component.

The captured CO₂ by a lime-based sorbent can be desorbed and in situ converted to CO or CH₄, with CO₂ conversion up to 87%, through a non-thermal dielectric-barrier discharge plasma-assisted process.

Techno-economic assessment was carried out for a hypothetical novel integrated system designed for municipal sewage treatment, with a primary focus on resource recovery including ammonia and power.

Formic acid synthesis from direct air captured CO₂ utilizing waste heat shows significant reductions in environmental impacts over conventional methods.

An investigation into the addition of CO₂ to the feedstock for a Fischer–Tropsch-to-olefins catalyst indicates a role for CO₂ perturbing the equilibrium between iron carbides and oxides.

The ion pair organocatalyst is a new type of H-bonding bifunctional catalyst that promotes the construction of oxazolidinones under mild conditions through the aza-Payne-type rearrangement of epoxy amines with carbon dioxide.

A safe and zero-waste process for the fabrication of high-performance lignocellulosic films with UV-blocking properties, using a recyclable ionic liquid with a non-toxic cosolvent, serving as an alternative to conventional plastics.

We produced dissolving pulp from agricultural waste and compared the environmental impact to dissolving pulp from wood using LCA.

Photovoltaics (PVs), the fastest-growing renewable energy source, play a crucial role in decarbonizing global energy systems.

Exploring the efficient conversion of methyl levulinate to GVL using mixed metal oxides derived from MOFs under CTH in continuous flow. The optimized Al₂O₃–ZrO₂/C (1 : 1) catalyst achieves 80% ML conversion and 72% GVL yield at 200 °C in 30 minutes.

Herein, we have synthesized high-performance, low-cost ionomer biocomposites comprised of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and softwood Kraft lignin with proton selectivities three- to ten-fold higher than that of neat SPEEK.

Room temperature ultrasonication of waste PCBs to separate electronic components and technology critical metals.

Within the study, synthesis of OME in a continuous, liquid phase process at the kg h⁻¹ scale is demonstrated. Catalyst deactivation is observed and further investigated to understand the underlying mechanism and propose further developments.

This study presents a novel room-temperature, two-step process for separating catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs) used in fuel cells and water electrolysers.

Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes incorporated with amino acids (AAs) and ionic liquids (ILs) fabricated using phase inversion technique have been proven to be efficient and effective for nanofiltration to treat heavy metal ion solutions.

Weakly sintered flakes have a higher recycling yield than spheres due to a higher sintered porosity of the printed structures.

This study demonstrates SLA 3D printing of Li-ion battery anodes using recycled solar cell waste, achieving 400 mA h g⁻¹ capacity with 89% retention after 200 cycles. This sustainable approach surpasses graphite anodes and supports circular economy.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) supported on MXene have emerged as new-generation catalysts that exhibit unique properties and catalytic activity due to their tunable coordination environment and uniform catalytic active sites.